A Broken Family
by hse07
Summary: The massive explosion in the warehouse has done some major damage to Firehouse 51, and the family is left to pick up the pieces. WARNING - MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH.


Gabriela Dawson sat vigilantly at Matt's bedside. The doctors had put him in a medically-induced coma, to ease up some of the bleeding in his brain. She heard someone behind her, and she turned to see her brother leaning against the door.

"I should have known I'd find you here.", he said. He sighed and entered the room. He grabbed a corner of Matt's bed and sat, facing his sister.

"You're _not_ supposed to be out of bed."

"I didn't say yes.", she blurted out.

"What?", he asked, confused for a moment.

"He asked me to marry him yesterday...and then the alarm went off. I didn't say yes. I didn't say anything. I even _SAW _the ring...but I didn't say yes."

Antonio's face softened, and he stood and hugged his sister.

"They say patients in a coma can hear you talking to them...so say it now.", he whispered.

"I'll be waiting outside.", he said, and he gave her his privacy.

Gabby grabbed Matt's hand and softly brought her lips to it. He couldn't die. He just couldn't. Gabby sat back and sighed, and eventually her eyes closed.

_Smoke filtered into Matt's consciousness, and he forgot for a moment where he was. What day it was. Then, his awareness began to come back to him, and he slowly lumbered to his feet._

_"Call out! Anyone! Call out!", he yelled. He saw a hand stick up and he ran over to see Severide, half-buried under the rubble._

_"Damn...that sucked.", he muttered. Matt helped him get out, and together, they began searching. Eventually they found Otis, Mouch, and Shay as well...who was guarding Dawson protectively. When Matt saw her, his heart sank. A large beam lay across her chest, and she had a piece of rebar sticking out of the_

_lower left side of her chest. _

_"Gabby!", he cried out, and he ran to her. The floor creaked under his feet, and Mouch cried out. _

_"Casey! This whole building's going to go! We have to get out of here!"_

_"I'm not leaving without her! Anyone who can help, get this off her." Severide, Mouch and Otis all began to lift the beam off her. Matt looked around the rebar and saw that Shay had tried to stabilize it with a peice of her shirt before passing out. He looked over to Shay. Her chest rose and fell with life. He could _

_have kissed her. _

_Severide cradled Shay in his arms, and Mouch and Otis followed behind him as they began searching for a way out of the rubble. Matt moved a strand of Gabby's hair from her face. She was so beautiful. He felt the love for her bursting out of him like a beam of electricity. She had to live. _

_All of a sudden, Matt heard someone groan, and he looked over to see Cruz trying to stand._

_"Cruz! Thank God!"_

_Cruz stumbled over to him and knelt at Gabby's feet. _

_"We have to get her out of here. The building's not stable." Matt began to lift her, but an excruciating pain then began blooming in his chest, and he fell._

_"Casey!", Cruz called out. Matt looked down helplessly. Slowly, he undid his jacket and opened it up. A four-inch gash bore its nasty head right below his heart. One that was bleeding profusely. _

_"Matt!", Joe cried out. He gently moved Casey out of the way and knelt to get Gabby._

_"Can you stand? Can you walk?", he asked. Matt tried and discovered he could, so he nodded. The ceiling groaned again, and they both looked up fearfully. _

_"We have to get out of here!", Matt said. As fast as they could, the two men began walking to where the others had gone. The way was rough. Joe was cradling Gabby's head so it didn't slam into any rubble. In between walking, Matt and Joe would take off their mask and put it on her face, so she didn't run out_

_of oxygen._

_"Oh my God, yes!" Joe cried out. Help had arrived. Station 41 was there, and they were helping Severide, Shay, Mouch and Otis. Joe and Matt began walking faster. As Joe and Gabby reached the other firefighters, Matt smiled. And then his smile turned to horror as he heard a large groan from the ceiling above,_

_followed by a crack. Matt looked up to see a large portion of the ceiling collapsing in on him. He felt something hit his head...hard...and then he fell. He heard someone call out, and then everything went black._

When he opened his eyes again, Matt was unsure where he was. For a moment, he was even unsure what day it was, and what had happened. He heard a voice, and upon looking over, saw a doctor smiling down over him. _The hospital, _he determined. Followed by, _Gabby! _He even said as much, and most likely quite loud, as the nurse at the foot of his bed jumped. A hand restrained him, and he looked over to see the most beautiful thing he'd seen since being knocked out.

"Gabby.", he whispered.

"Hey,", she whispered back, tears streaming down her face. He gently reached out and brushed one away, touching her face to see if she was real. The doctor and nurse took their cue and quietly left.

"You're here.", he whispered. She nodded. He smiled and closed his eyes. Fear shot through her, but just as suddenly, he opened them again, and she sighed in relief.

"Gabby-", he began, but she put a hand over his mouth gently.

"No. My turn.", she said. She grabbed his hand and gently kissed it. He smiled.

"I would love to be your wife, Matt Casey. Yes, I will marry you.", she said, and she smiled. He did, too, and then she was kissing him and he felt that electric beam again.

"I love you so much.", he whispered when they parted.

"Oh, God, I love you too. I love you.", she cried, but this time they were happy tears, and they were kissing again.


End file.
